Women's Basketball Adds a Pair of Transfers

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) — Eastern Michigan University women's basketball head coach Tory Verdi announced on Tuesday, May 5, the signing of Providence College transfer Chanise Baldwin (Pontiac, Mich.-Martin Luther King) and University of Cincinnati transfer Ashley Nickens (Sterling Heights, Mich.-Henry Ford II) to scholarship agreements for the 2015-16 academic year.

Baldwin, who completed her senior year at Providence will be immediately eligible to compete for EMU after graduating this spring. Meanwhile, Nickens will sit out this season in accordance with NCAA transfer guidelines and will compete for the Eagles during the 2016-17 season.

A 6-foot-3 forward, Baldwin started each of the Friars' 30 games last season. She averaged 7.1 points and 6.6 rebounds per game and finished the year ranked second on the team in double-doubles. The Pontiac, Mich. native scored a career-high 16 points and grabbed a career-best nine defensive rebounds against Xavier, Jan. 4, 2015. Baldwin registered six double-digit rebounding games in 2014-15, including a career-best 15 against UMass Lowell, Dec. 6, 2014.

Baldwin, who missed the 2013-14 season due to injury, played in 75 career games for the Friars. In total, she scored 347 career points, grabbed 375 rebounds and blocked 62 shots for the Big East Conference school. Before enrolling at PC, she played four years at Detroit Martin Luther King High School and was captain of the team as a senior. Named the Most Improved Player in 2010 and Most Valuable Player in 2011, she was named All-City First Team in 2011.

"Chanise will be an immediate impact player for us, giving us depth at the post position," said Verdi. "She is long and athletic and has a ton of versatility that truly compliments our style of play. We are so excited about her arrival!"

A 6-foot-3 forward, Nickens played in 14 games for the Bearcats during the 2014-15 season. She recorded just 10 points and 13 rebounds on the year in limited minutes, but posted six points and seven caroms in a non-conference contest against the University of Detroit Mercy, Dec. 23, 2014.

Before heading to the Queen City, Nickens played for three years at Stevenson High School in Sterling Heights, Mich. before transferring to Henry Ford II for her senior season. She averaged 12 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks per game as a senior and was named to the First Team All-MAC Red, Second Team all-county and Third Team All-Macomb County.

"Ashley's best basketball is just ahead of her," said Verdi. "We are excited that she has decided to become an Eagle and we all look forward to working with her. Ashley is unique as their is truly not another imposing post player like her in the MAC."

The duo join an Eastern Michigan squad that finished the year with a 24-13 record (11-7 MAC) and earned an appearance in the Postseason WNIT Tournament, advancing to the "Sweet 16" for the second-time in school history. The 24 wins tied the program record for most victories in a season as EMU became the first No. 6 seed to reach the Mid-American Conference's women's title game. The Eagles rewrote the record book with 124 different all-time top performances including most points in a season (2,549), field goals made (936), rebounds (1,539) and three-pointers made (223).

Eastern Michigan Athletics

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